Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images. Close. Stock options provide income and opportunity for most people to profit if the company does well. But, over 22% of options contracts expire without any value.

A “call” option is a right to buy a corporation’s stock, while a “put” is a right to sell a stock (both with a specific price and expiration date).

If stock options are part of your compensation package, it’s worth your while to get familiar with how they work generally, as well as how your company handles stock options specifically.

As technology stocks ascended in the second half of the 1990s, employee stock options were the dominant form of equity compensation, with companies distributing them to rank-and-file employees as ...

Employee stock options are a unique arrangement with several potential benefits and drawbacks. The most obvious benefit is the potential financial reward for employees if the company does well.

The logic of exempting private companies’ stock option issuance from the Securities Act of 1933 is that the options aren’t really an investment subject to securities law; they’re just a form ...

Private stock options are commonly associated with startup companies, especially in technology – where the goal is to create a highly valued company that will eventually go public.

In the realm of equity compensation, Incentive Stock Options (ISOs) stand out as a compelling tool for employers to attract and retain talent while offering employees the opportunity to share in ...

With stock options, you have a choice, as does your ex-spouse, of when to exercise your right to either cash out or buy the underlying stock. Once the value is realized, you will be taxed.